History of Buchanan County, Iowa 1842 to 1881
THE SIMULTANEOUS RAISING OF TWO COMPANIES
The spring of 1862 was signalized by brilliant successes on the part of the Federal troops in the west and southwest. But these were not achieved without a price, and many existing military organizations required to be filled up by new enlistments, in order to be certain of retaining the advantages already gained. In June of this year a call was made for three hundred thousand men to be "enrolled without delay, so as to bring this unnecessary and injurious war to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion."
It was soon announced that enlistments were going forward with much energy throughout the State, and Buchanan county, as heretofore, was not long in placing herself in the front rank in this prompt response to the call of the Government, Mr. J. D. Noble, commission merchant, Independence, was the first to initiate steps for raising a company, which met at once with encouraging success. Already midsummer, another harvest would soon be passed, when, with the bounty offered by the board of supervisors, and the advanced pay from the Government, the families of enlisted men could be provided for. This liberality produced a marked effect in the rapid increase of volunteering in all parts of the county, as indeed wherever the policy was adopted thus enlistments were confidently expected to render drafting a dead letter. The good work was soon progressing, not only at the county seat, but also at Quasqueton under the supervision of Mr. Whitney; and in Byron township a company was being raised by Jacob M, Miller. The fire of patriotism had not lost its ardor, and at the first breath it was again ablaze. Some of the most prominent business men of the county had soon given their names; the legal profession being represented by such men as W. G. Donnan and Jed Lake.
We make the following extract from the Guardian of August 19th:
The enthusiasm apparent at the time we went to press last week has continued, and has culminated in the enlisting of two companies of excellent men from this county. The rolls of these companies show the names of some of the best citizens of our county, and better material for soldiers cannot be found anywhere.
The members of both companies were at the county seat on Monday and Tuesday, eighteenth and nineteenth of August, with hundreds of their friends, thus giving the town another faint ripple from the utmost verge of that angry sea into which our unhappy country had been plunged. Again were the sad parting scenes re-enacted, the same clinging, tearful farewells on the part of those left, and most to be pitied - the same heroic mastery of self on the part of those who had given themselves to their bleeding country. The companies were both filled to the maximum number, and the character of the men was such as to promise the highest honor to the county, their State and to, themselves. Captain Miller was elected by acclamation, but further organization was deferred by both companies until they should be in camp at Dubuque. The roster of company C,* Captain Miller's; taken from the adjutant general's report, is here appended:
*Note by Elaine Johnson: This is actually the roster from Company H --see the bolded note below.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Captain Jacob M. Miller.
First Lieutenant Otis N. Whitney.
Second Lieutenant William G. Donnan.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
First Sergeant Aaron M. Wilcox.
Second Sergeant Wesley G. Smyser.
Third Sergeant Charles W. Woolley.
Fourth Sergeant Charles W. Evans.
Fifth Sergeant Mark Brownson.
First Corporal Joseph H. Blank.
Second Corporal Daniel Anders.
Third Corporal John G. Litts.
Fourth Corporal Alonzo L. Shurtleff.
Fifth Corporal Henry Silker.
Sixth Corporal Thomas S. Bunce.
Seventh Corporal John S. Frink.
Eighth Corporal George Kirkham.
Musician Sidney C. Adams.
Musician George W. Heath.
Wagoner Benjamin Miller.
PRIVATES.
William C. B. Adams, Sylvester Abbey, Samuel Beckley, John M. Blank, John Buck, Nelson J. Boone, Morgan Boone, Amos R. Blood, Sylvester W. Bowker, Mathias Buro, Hamilton B. Booth, James Campbell, Columbus Caldwell, William Casebeer, Warren Chase, Charles Conlon, Francis M. Congdon, Devolson Cormick, Erastus Campbell, Alford Cordell, Moses Chase, Albert Cordell, Benton F. Colborn, Charles H. Coleman, William Crum, Henry E. A. Diehl, Levi H. Eddy, Hamilton Evans, William B. Fleming, Henry French, Jacob Glass, George G. Gaylord, Isaac Gill, James C. Haskins, Newton Hammond, Hiram H. Hunt, Michael Harrigan, George Hathaway, Ezekiel Hays, jr., Adam Hoover, Charles Hoover, William J. Hendricks, Clinton H. Losure, Harrison H. Love, Charles H. Lewis, William N. Loy, James A. Laird, Edward P. Lewis, Walter B. Lan-fear, William McKenney, Alvi McGonigil, Edward E. Mulick, John Mulick, Louis A. McWilliams, Bartimeus McGonigil, Abraham S. Monshaw, John McBane, Charles W. McKenney, William Morgan, Stewart McKenney, Emanuel Miller, Warren Munson, Joseph Moore, Augustus P. Osgood, John Olar, Edward T. Potter, Austin W. Perkins, George A. Patterson, William T. Rich, John Slavin, Philip C. Smyser, Benjamin Sutton, Howard T. Stutson, Thomas Sproull, Henry H. Turner, Joseph Turis, John A. Tift, Myron H. Woodward, Emanuel Wardell, William M. Winkley.
It was mentioned as a matter of interest, that forty-nine of these men were single and fifty married. This roll, first copied from the Guardian, was afterward corrected by comparison with the roster found in the official report of the adjutant general. Captain Noble's company took the letter name C, in the Twenty-seventh infantry, and Captain Miller's became company H in the same regiment.
The roll of Captain Noble's company (company C) though reviewed at the Guardian office, and acknowledged with the promise of an early insertion, through undesigned omission did not appear. The following roster is taken from the report of Adjutant General Bake; published January 1, 1863:
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Captain Joseph Noble.
First Lieutenant Henry F. Snell.
Second Lieutenant Herman C. Hemenway.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
First Sergeant James A. Poor.
Second Sergeant Joseph F. Jackson.
Third sergeant Enoch R. Fary.
Fourth Sergeant Edward P. Baker
Fifth Sergeant William H. Vanderbilt.
First Corporal Albert M. Green.
Second Corporal Charles H. Wright.
Third Corporal Jonathan F. Gates.
Fourth Corporal Lewis A. Main.
Fifth Corporal Frederick Spragg.
Sixth Corporal George Frink.
Seventh Corporal William P. Warren.
Eighth Corporal George N. Whaite.
Musician Robert N. White.
Musician Harry Green.
Musician Oliver Bray.
Wagoner Byron C. Hale.
PRIVATES.
Eli Anderson, Hiram Abbott, Emery S. Allen, Richard H. Andrews, Daniel L. Brisbin, Job Barns, Gilbert P. Brant, Eli C. Brown, William B. Burris, Warren Bouck, Henry M. Bailey, George W. Beaman, John Brady, Michael Butler, Lorin D. Carpenter, John S. Coats, Needham N. Crandall, Levt Durham, Electus D. Frizell, Erasmus B. Frizell, Zenas R. Fary, Frank B. Fredenburg, George H. Fuller, Joel Fisher, James C. Glass, Harry Green, George W. Hilling, Abner B. Hoffman, Gilbert L. Hicks, Matthias Hook, David N. Jewett, David F. Johnson, Martin T. King, Willard H. King, William S. King, John R. Laton, Abraham Littlejohn, William H. Leuder, Walter S. Munger, William B. Minton, Reuben L. Merrill, David McGowan, William Milligan, Carr W. Mosher, Joel D. Nourse, James H. O'Brien, Bezin Orput, Samuel V. Pelley, Gilbert R. Parish, Joseph Postel, Joseph Russell, James E. Robinson, John G. Rice, Henry H. Romigs, Elliot G. Smith, Joel S. Smith, Cyrus E. Smith, Samuel H. Smith, Daniel S. Spragg, John W. Sanders, Edward H. Spalding, George H. Spalding, Benjamin S. Sager, Lucien Stevens, Albert Tennis, Sylvanus Taylor, N. D. VanEman, John D. VanCleve, Jesse Wroten, John M. Watson, Joseph A. Williams, Seth Wheaton, Thomas Watson, David E. Wheeler, Eri A. Wilson, George Wille, James G. Warren, Abisha W. Washburn, Thomas Linn.